Reunion
by Moosagi
Summary: When Kate is invited to her high school reunion, Mike somehow finds his way into accompanying Kate. Spending a weekend together, will the two be able to deny what they've been feeling for months?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Sea Patrol. I merely use the characters for my own enjoyment.

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Mike sat on the computer making use of the email to reply to his mum's numerous invitations to a 'get together'. His mum's excuse was that she hadn't had all her children together in so long, even going so far as to almost cry the last time he spoke to her over the phone. He knew though that he wouldn't be able to make it, knowing that in some way or another work would get in the way and so that's what he was telling her now. He had just hit send when the door opened and Kate walked in.

"Sir, I'm sorry. I didn't realise you were in here. I was looking for RO," she said quickly before turning to leave.

Mike shook his head just as the computer beeped indicating a new email. "Don't worry X, I was just leaving." He flicked open the inbox thinking the reply might be from his mum but saw it was for Kate. He quickly stopped her before she left.

"X, there is an email here for you," he called out.

She stuck her head back in and moved over to the computer. He stood up, allowing her to sit down to read it but wasn't willing to leave. He had seen that the subject of the email said 'reunion' and he was curious to know what it was. He stood back a bit, but watched as she opened the email and read the first line.

South Grafton State High School Reunion, Class of 1997

A smirk crossed his face. This was something Kate had never told him. He knew very little of her past. It was something they never talked about back when they were together. He drifted off, remembering all the good times they had when he heard someone talking to him. He focussed again to see Kate staring at him.

"Sorry X?"

She let out a frustrated sigh, "Do you have a habit of reading people's emails over their shoulders?"

"Ah, no. Sorry. I wasn't reading it. I was just… thinking," he quickly covered up, before taking a better look at the email.

"Excuse me," Kate said, before exiting out of it.

"Well, are you going to go?" Mike asked. He was going to see how much he could get out of her.

"Sorry?" She replied, confused.

He pointed to the computer, "To the reunion. Are you going to go?"

She glared at him, "I thought you didn't read it."

He gave her a sheepish grin, enjoying the playful banter between them. "Sprung."

She shook her head, trying to keep in a laugh, "No. I'm not going to. High school is a time I would rather forget. Actually my entire schooling years are something I would rather forget." She finished off in a mumble.

"Why? High school was a blast. I had heaps of fun," Mike said. "What's stopping you from going?"

"Look Mike… Sir. I wasn't exactly the most social person in school. I…" she stopped herself, not wanting to tell him of her past. "Look, basically I was considered a freak and no one spoke to me. So what's the point in going then."

He opened his mouth to answer but was stopped when RO walked in.

"Ah… Can I have my desk back?"

They both nodded before walking out. He turned to head for the bridge whilst she turned in the opposite direction to head for her cabin.

"X?" he called out to her.

She stopped and turned around.

"Maybe you should go. Let them see how well off you are. I doubt any of them knew you would become the strong, smart, beautiful woman you are today," he said.

She looked at him shocked and he suddenly realised what he just said. He opened his mouth to apologise but she beat him to it.

"Thankyou sir. I might consider going," she gave him a quick smile and turned to walk off.

He opened his mouth and the words came out before he could stop them, "If you want, I could come with you."

He swore in his head. 'Bad Mike. You can't do this,' he thought. But his thoughts were stopped at the smile on her face.

"Thanks. I'll think about it… Sir," she turned and walked off.

Mike couldn't help but grin goofily as he walked into the bridge. Nav looked at him strangely.

"Sir, are you OK?" she asked.

He smiled at her, "Fine Nav. I'm perfectly fine."


	2. Chapter 2

A few weeks had passed since Kate had received the invitation to the reunion. She still didn't know if she wanted to go and Mike's invitation to go with her wasn't helping either. She was in two minds about it all. She didn't want to go to the reunion because she would then have to face all her old school mates who were never very nice to her or, on the other hand, she could go and spend a night with Mike. But then that could bring up other problems. One night could lead to them heading down the same path they did 5 years ago. It only took one night then. She really could not decide and she knew she had to soon. The date of the reunion was coming up and she had to talk to Commander Marshall to see if the ship was tasked for that weekend as well. Not too mention that Mike would have to know if she decided to go or not because he wanted to go with her and she had shot herself in the foot by agreeing to let him come.

Not being able to come to a decision, she let out a frustrated yell, forgetting where she was.

Those in the bridge jumped at the sudden noise.

"Ah, X. Are you alright?" Swain asked from the helm.

Kate, realising where she was, blushed slightly. "Yeah I'm fine. Just getting a bit frustrated that we can't find these FFV's."

Swain glanced over at Mike, who had been talking quietly to Nav. He was now staring at Kate with an unreadable expression on his face.

"X, maybe you would like to go lie down and catch a bit of shut eye. We may be a while off yet and you haven't slept for a while from what I've heard," Mike said.

Kate threw a glare in Nav's direction before turning to Mike.

"Sir, I'm perfectly fine. Missing a little bit of sleep is not going to kill me," she replied stubbornly.

"X. I want you down in your cabin in the next five minutes because whatever you may think, you look like crap," Mike said.

Kate opened her mouth to reply but Mike was quick to cut in, "And that's an order X."

A defeated look crossed her face before she mumbled a quick 'Yes sir' and walked out of the bridge.

He turned back to Nav to find out how far off they were.

"Thanks for dragging me into that sir," she mumbled, before turning back to the chart.

Mike let out a sigh. You just couldn't win with women.

As the Hammersley limped back into port, Kate couldn't believe her luck. She had finally decided to go to her reunion when Mike had found out that they would be out for another two weeks. This then wiped all thoughts of the reunion from her head. However, whilst in pursuit of an FFV, one of the engines died and needing a new part, NavCom told them to return to port and that the Kingston would be sent out instead. Even though the crew weren't happy that the Kingston would be stealing their FFV's, they were looking forward to having at least the weekend off.

After the ship had been secured, Kate went in search of Mike. She walked up to his cabin and knocked on the door, hoping he would be there.

"Come in." his voice came through.

She walked in and saw him sitting at his desk. As he turned to look at her she saw something cross his face but couldn't tell what. The look somehow seemed familiar but she couldn't quite place it.

"Ah Sir, I thought that I would let you know that I have decided to go to Grafton for my high school reunion," Kate said, hoping he would catch onto what she was saying.

She watched as his face lit up.

"Oh really? Well I'm glad you're going. I think I might be heading off this weekend for a family get together not too far from Grafton," he replied, adding a wink. She knew what he meant. He would be coming and using his family get together as a cover up.

"I suppose you need to see Marshall to let him know," Mike said.

Kate nodded, "Will be going up there soon."  
"Well if you don't mind waiting a few minutes, I might come with you. Need to see him myself," he said with a smile.

Kate smiled back, "Not at all Sir. I'll meet you up on deck then."  
He nodded his head, "Look forward to it," before returning to finish the paperwork on his desk.

Kate walked out with a small smile on her face, unable to help the feeling of butterflies in her stomach. She didn't know why but she felt like a girl with a crush who was sneaking behind her parents back, but nothing had happened between her and Mike. Everything was so confusing at the moment. She actually wanted to go to a school reunion when she wasn't even friends with anyone at school and now she had butterflies in her stomach after talking with Mike. She thought that she had buried those feelings for the sake of her career but here she was, planning a weekend with him! She let out a sigh and headed towards the deck to wait for him.

After Kate had left his cabin, Mike had to take a deep breath to calm the butterflies in his stomach. When she told him that she was going to go to the reunion, his stomach leapt because that meant he would be spending a weekend with her. At that moment though, he felt like a school boy with a crush. He didn't know what to do. He knew that what they were doing was wrong. But even then, he hoped that this weekend would result in something. He let out a sigh when he realised that he should head up to meet Kate.

Both Kate and Mike left NavCom, successful in their applications to have the weekend off. Both were really looking forward to it, but as they left an awkward silence engulfed the two, neither knowing what to say.

"Um, well I might go home and pack," Kate said, turning to Mike. "I'll book the plane tickets. You're coming because of me anyway."  
Mike shook his head, "No it's alright. I'll get them. You're the one who will have to endure my family."

Kate looked surprised at this comment, "Excuse me."

Mike smirked at Kate, "Oh sorry, I haven't told you that part of the deal yet. I told my mum that I'm in a relationship to get her off my back. So it would be kind of weird to show up alone wouldn't it?"

Kate shook her head, "No, no, no. We can't do that. With… well with our history, it would just be weird."

"Come on Kate. With our history it would be more real. Please help me out on this one. I'm helping you," he pleaded with her.

She looked into his eyes and couldn't resist his brown, puppy-dog eyes.

"Fine, but you owe me more than mine because that is nothing in comparison," Kate reasoned.

Mike nodded, "OK then. Sounds good. So who's doing plane tickets?"

Mike and Kate stood in a queue at the airport, waiting to check in.

"So what flight did you get us onto Sir?" Kate asked, annoyed that Mike booked the tickets.

"Well, the best I could get at such short notice is to fly to Sydney then to Coffs Harbour and then I suppose we will have to drive to Grafton," Mike said, crossing his fingers behind his back, hoping that Kate wouldn't react to the long journey. He watched as her face screwed up before she nodded her head.

"That sounds about right. No airliner every can just fly straight to Grafton," Kate said frustrated. Mike let out the breath he was holding, glad he didn't get his head bitten off for the flight.

As they sat down in their seat, Mike watched as Kate glanced around the cabin before letting out a frustrated sigh.

"What's wrong X? You're not afraid of flying are you?" Mike asked, confused with what she was doing.

"No, I was just seeing who is sitting around us. This is going to be a fun flight sir," Kate replied.

Mike let out a little chuckle, "Come on Kate. We'll have movies to watch and you could catch up on some shuteye. Also whilst we're on this trip and away from the ship, there is no need for you to call me sir. There are no ranks this weekend."

Kate nodded her head, "Okay then Sir…. Mike." She gave him a quick smile before turning to listen to the host present the safety speech.

Kate glanced sideways as Mike pulled out some paperwork to do. It looked like a fair amount so she decided she might offer to help.

"Is there anything I can do?"

Mike shook his head, "No it's just the report from the FFV. There is nothing really to write considering what happened to the engine."

Kate nodded her head, "Fair enough. That was really frustrating though. Does Charge know how long we'll be down for?"

Mike shook his head, "No. He put an order in for the part this afternoon. Should be a couple of days at least. Enough time for us to get a break."  
Kate gave a little laugh, "The life of a Naval officer. Never really getting a break."  
"Well I have to say that this is the first time I've really taken a break in a good 6 months," Mike added.

A little old lady sitting next to Mike on the aisle seat decided to join in their conversation.

"Oh you poor dears. What employer would not allow their employees to take a break. You should report them to the authorities or even the government," the lady said.

Mike and Kate laughed at how serious she was being.

She scoffed at them, "You young kids have no respect for your elder members of society anymore."

Mike shook his head, "No, we're sorry. It's just that we both work for the Navy. The government is basically our employer. We can't report the government to the government."

She glared at him before turning back to the screen in front of her. Mike turned to Kate who just shrugged her shoulders.

"Why did you get the window seat again? I'm the higher ranked officer here. You should be dealing with old ladies," Mike whispered.

Kate just smiled at him before pulling on her earphones to watch the movie. Mike rolled his eyes and turned back to doing the paperwork. The movie was some chick flick, a romance one and he knew that he would not enjoy it.

After some time, Mike found he couldn't concentrate on the paperwork whilst Kate was scoffing and groaning at the movie every 5 minutes. He tried to ignore it, even plugging in his own earphones to listen to music but he still couldn't block her out. Finally fed up, he pulled the earphones of her head.

"Hey! What did you do that for!" she yelled at him, "I was watching that!"

"No you weren't. If you were watching the movie, you would be enjoying it, not making weird noises every so often!" he yelled back, holding the earphones out of her reach.

"It's not my fault romance and love is so corny," she retorted back.

"It is not," Mike replied.

"Oh come on! How many people will actually fall in love AND stay in love!" Kate yelled, the topic of conversation annoying her.

"There are plenty of people!" He came back with.

"Yeah? Name one!"

Their debate was interuppted by the stewardess, "Excuse me. Would you mind keeping your voices down. There are lots of other people on this plane who would like a peaceful flight."

"Um, sorry," Mike and Kate said, embarrased by their actions.

"I believe in love," said the little old lady next to Mike.

They both just stared at her.

"Well I do," she replied adamantely, "My dear Joseph and I fell in love back when we were both 20 years old and it was love at first sight. He was able to make everything disappear and the world seem right."

Mike glanced at Kate. That was how he felt whenever he was around her. She just seemed to make everything feel right. Those few blissful months they had spent together had been some of the best in his life and he wouldn't forget them. Just being around her and working with her these last few months was what he needed to make everything right again. He wished that he had let her walk out of his like all those years ago.

Kate threw a quick glance at Mike. She would never admit it, but the little old lady hit the nail on the head with how she felt about him. He is the only man she would ever love and walking out on him 5 years ago was her biggest regret.

"Haven't you ever experienced a love like that? Where that one person can just make everything seem so insignificant and the world so right?" the little old lady continued.

Not thinking, both Kate and Mike looked each other in the eye, their intense feelings blantantly obvious for the other to see.

The little old lady watched the reaction and knew that the two Naval officers she sat with were made for each other.

Kate broke eye contact first, a sligh blush on her cheeks as she mumbled an apology. Mike did the same, turning away and cursing at himself for being so obvious. Both noticed the tension that was evident between them, the intenseness of the moment getting to them. Mike needed to move, just to get some space to clear his head. He stood up and apologised to the little old lady before walking to the front of the plane where the toilets were.

Kate watched him leave; cursing at her stupidity for making her feelings clear for him to see. However, she couldn't help but feel a slight hope that maybe something this weekend would happen.

"He is quite a catch," the little old lady said after following Kates stare.

Kate nodded her head, still lost in her thoughts.

The little old lady just smiled. She knew what was going through the young ladies head.

The remainder of the flight was awkward between the two and neither really knew what to say to each other. When the plane landed, they both rushed off, making excuses to get themselves some space. After half an hour, they met back in the foodcourt before their flight to Coffs Harbour left.

"Ah, are you ready to go?" Mike asked awkwardly.

Kate nodded, "Yeah, just needed some coffee."

He nodded his head in agreement, "Yeah its been a long afternoon."

Kate took a look at her watch, "It's 9:30 already. This second flight shouldn't be too long, only about 45 minutes. The drive should only take an hour."

Mike nodded his head, "Yeah. I'll get a coffee when we get to Grafton airport so it will keep me awake on the drive."

Kate looked at him, "I could drive if you want."

Mike should his head, "No I will. You need to rest before tomorrow anyway."

"Why?" Kate was confused.

"Going to need to be rested up to deal with all your school mates."

"Yeah, true. Will need lots of rest to deal with them," she finished off mumbling.

Mike glanced at her, wondering what was so bad about her highschool says that she wouldn't want to go. The call for their flight came over and both headed onboard, hoping it would pass quickly.

Both the flight and the drive to Grafton passed quickly enough and soon Mike found himself being told where to go to get to their accomodation. They had let the owners know that they would be late and so they had agreed on waiting for Mike and Kate to arrive.

The sight of the sign of their accomodation had to be the most welcome sight all day. They pulled into the driveway and both felt relieved that they had finally reached the accomodation and would be able to sleep. They parked the car and walked up to reception where a lady stood waiting for them.

"Sorry about how late we are and how we booked at such short notice," Kate apologised.

The lady shook her head, "Oh, don't worry about it. It's absolutely fine. I have your key here to your room. All I need is a signature here."

She handed over one key to Kate and pointed to a line to sign on.

"Um, sorry but we needed two rooms," Kate pointed out.

The lady looked at Kate, "Oh I'm sorry. We're at full capacity and I thought that since you were booking together, that you wouldn't mind sharing a room."

Kate looked at Mike, who was as equally shocked as she was. There was no way the two could share a room.

"Please tell me it has more than one bed," Mike asked.

The lady nodded her head, "Oh yes. It has a single and a queen size bed. However there is only one bathroom. I hope that is alright?"

Kate let out the breath she was holding, "Yeah, that's fine. I think we can handle that."

Mike nodded his head in agreement, hoping he would be able to get through the next few days.

"Well, if that's settled then. Here are your keys. Check out for you is at 12 noon on Sunday. Someone will be here is reception. Your account is to be payed on that day also. Enjoy your stay here and I think we all need to leave now for some sleep," the receptionist informed them.

Mike and Kate nodded their heads in agreement.

"Thankyou for waiting up," Mike said.

She smiled in return.

As soon as they entered the room, Kate called dibs on the queen size bed.

"Kate, that is not fair. I'm taller than you are. I need more room," Mike complained.

"I need to rest well for the reunion tomorrow night," Kate replied with a cheeky smile.

Mike just shook his head, knowing he wouldn't win the fight.

"Fine, but I get first shower," he quickly threw his bag on the bed and got into the bathroom before Kate.

"Mike!" she complained like a child. She sat down in a huff on her bed. She would have to wait then.

The next morning both woke up around the same time and found it slightly awkward being in the same room.

Kate walked out from the bathroom in some running clothes to see Mike crawling out of bed, yawning and shirtless.

"Um, I was just about to head out for a run," Kate said, looking anywhere around the room, except at Mike.

Mike smirked at the sight of Kate blushing, "Well, if you give me a moment, I will join you."

Kate just nodded her head, "Okay."

He didn't take long, walking out in some shorts and a t-shirt. It didn't take him long to put his shoes on and before Kate knew it he was ready. They walked outside and started jogging off, Mike following Kate.

They headed along in silence most of the way until they made it to the main street.

"God I miss this," Kate whispered at the sight of the relatively busy main street.

Mike looked at her sideways, nodding his head in agreement, "I know what you mean."

Kate looked at him strangely, "How would you know what a country main street feels like?"

He looked at her, confused, "Didn't I tell you I lived in Casino?"

Kate shook her head, "No you didn't. I thought you lived in Sydney and we would stop off at your family's reunion on our way back."

Mike shrugged his shoulders, "I thought I had told you. We'll drive there tomorrow then drive to Coffs Harbour to fly out."

"Okay then," Kate replied. She suddenly gasped in excitement, "It's still there!"

Mike was confused, "What is?"

Kate pointed towards a small café sandwiched in-between a saddlery and an electrics store. "The café. I use to buy milkshakes here nearly every afternoon on my way home from school."

Mike watched as Kate's face darkened at the thought of her childhood and he wondered what went on that was so horrible to remember.

"Well do you feel like breakfast then?" he asked, hoping to brighten her mood.

She nodded her head, "Sounds good."

They walked over and quickly secured themselves a table on the footpath. After the waitress had come up and taken their order for coffees, Mike stood up.

"I'm just going to quickly run to the bathroom. If she comes back can you please order me a Big Breakfast with extra bacon?"

Kate nodded her head, "Yeah sure."

She let her eyes follow him, feeling the longing that she constantly felt insider her flare. She let out a sigh as he walked out of sight and started to look around the street instead. Nothing much had changed since she had last been here 10 years ago. She was interrupted from her thoughts by the waitress bringing over their coffees, still shocked at the how strong they asked them to be. Kate reached for the sugar, taking four out of habit. She was pouring them in when a voice behind her startled her.

"I don't think I've ever seen someone put that much sugar in a coffee before."

Kate stopped and turned around. The woman was blonde, and clearly had a fake tan judging by the orange glow she sported however, Kate couldn't place where she had seen the woman's face before.

"But then again, you were always kind of weird," the woman continued, not noticing how befuddled Kate was at who she was.

However, the final comment reminded Kate who it was, "Chelsea. Good to see you. Are you here for the reunion too?"

Chelsea nodded her head, "Yes I am. It will be nice to catch up with all my old school friends. Although I don't know why you would be attending, since you didn't have many friends then."

Kate plastered on a very fake smile, "Well I got the weekend off from work and I didn't have anything better to do."

She watched as Chelsea looked her over, "Work, hey? What is it that you do? Did you end up getting a good job like a lawyer or something or are you working as a volunteer type thing." She waved her hand absently, not knowing what it was that they did.

Kate opened her mouth to reply but Chelsea cut in, "Obviously from the looks of it you've secured yourself a very low paying job. No one would want to look as hideous as you do!"

Kate was about to fire back but Chelsea cut in, still continuing to taunt her, "And how about a man? Are you involved in a relationship at all? There were always rumours going around in school how you were a lesbian!"

Kate opened her mouth, finally about to let loose when a voice cut in.

"I highly doubt you have any right to speak to Kate like that."

Kate looked behind Chelsea to see Mike standing there. She hadn't even noticed him walk up.

Chelsea turned around also, ready to let fly at whoever dare spoke to her in such a tone. At the sight of Mike however, a different idea came to mind.

"And who would you be?" she asked in a silky, sweet voice.

Mike was quite taken back at her sudden change in tone, "I'm Mike Flynn."

Kate groaned and let her head fall into her hands. She knew how Mike was with tanned blondes, even if, in this case, they were fake.

"Delighted to meet you, I'm Chelsea," she held out her hand.

"And how do you know Kate?" Chelsea continued, hoping to get as many details as possible before tonight.

"Actually I work with her," Mike said and Kate saw the triumphant grin on Chelsea's face and Kate felt slightly defeated, knowing what would come next.

"But we've also been going out for the last year or so."

Kate's head shot up, her eyes connecting with Mikes. She saw a faint glimmer of humour in his eyes and a smile crossed her face.

"Oh so you work as a volunteer thing as well?" Chelsea asked.

Mike was slightly confused at this, but then remembered hearing Chelsea going on about Kate's job.

"Actually we both are in the Navy," Mike replied, both Kate and Mike feeling a slight triumph at this small victory.

"Oh and ah, what exactly do you do?" Chelsea continued, hoping for an answer of that Kate cleans toilets or something.

"Well I'm ranked as a Lieutenant Commander and I'm a commanding officer of a boat. Kate is a Lieutenant and she is my executive officer or second in command," Mike answered.

Kate held in a laugh as Chelsea's face fell. She had nothing against her now, unless she made up something before the reunion.

"Well, would you look at the time. I suppose I had better rush, have things to do. Well I will see you tonight then. Ciao," She quickly rushed off before either Kate or Mike could say anything.

The waitress arrived with their food and Mike finally sat down.

"That was interesting to say in the least," Mike said, with a little laugh. "I thought Gallagher was bad but she proved me otherwise. I don't think I have ever seen someone have that much of a grudge against someone."

Kate just shook her head, "It'll be worse tonight. I can assure you that one. Once she gets with all her friends…"

She trailed off as memories of school came back. She felt something warm cover her hand and looking up she saw Mike's hand on her own.

"This time, you'll have me with you. You can handle this," He gave her a smile and she felt her stomach flip. She could do this tonight.


	3. Chapter 3

They spent the rest of the day wondering around the streets of Grafton. After a while, and a discussion where they both decided they needed showers, they headed back to the motel.

Kate managed to beat Mike into the shower and whilst waiting he explored around the room a bit. Opening a cupboard, he found a few board games, most of which had missing pieces. He pulled out Scrabble and was glad to see that it had the majority of pieces.

After Kate had gotten out of the shower, she walked out to see Mike with a smirk on his face, as well as holding Scrabble.

"You up for a game?"

Kate nodded her head, "Sure, we've done all we can to pass time so far." She took the box off him and started to push him towards the bathroom.

"But first you've got to take a shower. You smell."

Mike let her push him, liking the feel of her hands against him and laughed as he shut the door behind him.

When Mike walked back into the room, he found that Kate had already set up the game on the floor. He sat down opposite her and they both picked up some word tiles.

"You go first," Mike said.

Kate shook her head, "Oh no. After you… _Sir_."

He glared at her briefly before starting. They played for an hour, neither getting the upper hand until now. Mike had finally gained a tentative lead and had the greater chance of winning because Kate couldn't think of word.

Kate looked at the tiles, there were none left. She had to think of a word to win, and from what she could see; there were no words she could think of to win. She racked her brown for a word but couldn't find one. Finally she had an idea and laid out a word.

Mike looked up from his own tiles to see the word Kate had laid out.

"Frevolious? That's not a word. You're cheating!"

Kate shook her head, a smile playing across her face, "I am not. It's a real word. It means… well, it means… playful and active as in like he was frevoliously running around his mother, begging to go to the park. That means I win."

Kate smiled triumphantly at her quick thinking.

Mike wasn't buying it though, "Bullcrap. Where's a dictionary?"

Kate jumped up and quickly ran to grab it before Mike could. She flicked through the pages before yelling out an "AH Huh!"

Mike was stunned, "It's in there?"

Kate nodded her head, "Right here. Frevolious: to be active and playful."

Mike raised an eyebrow and held out his hand, "Ok, let me see then."

She shook her head, "Why. Don't you trust me?"

"It's not that… It's just… I do trust you, just not with that dictionary. Now it to me," he reached to grab it off her, only to have her move behind the bed.

"Kate," he jumped across the bed, getting tangled in the pillows and linen. He fell off the bed and onto Kate, who was not quick enough to get out of the way. Once the laughing subsided, they realised the compromising position they were in with Mike on top of Kate. They lay there, their eyes locked on each other with enough tension in the air that you could slice a knife through.

"Mike," Kate whispered. Their heads drew a little closer together.

"Yeah?" he replied, lost in her eyes and the feeling of her against him.

Suddenly the sound of a phone ringing pulled them out of their moment. Kate looked at Mike who had an annoyed look on his face.

"Mike, you need to answer that."

He looked at her and nodded his head, her words getting through his fogged up brain. He walked over to the table and picked up his mobile, "Mike Flynn…"

Kate moved and sat on the bed, thoughts running through her head as to what had just happened. She watched Mike, he was getting agitated about something and she longed to provide him some comfort or help him to relax. As he slammed his phone down on the table, he brought Kate out of her thoughts.

"This is bloody ridiculous."

"What is? Who was that?" Kate was confused as to what he was going on about.

"That was Charge. The part he ordered for the engine is late and won't be delivered for another week which sets us back a good two weeks minimum before Hammersley is up and running again. Not to mention that NavCom don't want to replace the part because Hammersley is being decommissioned soon."

Kate sat and watched as he breathed heavily after his rant.

"It's just a load of bullcrap," he finished quietly.

Kate stood up and walked over to him and stood quietly next to him, "Mike, it'll be alright. Think of it positively though, it gives us some extra time with your family."

Mike looked at her, wondering what made her say that.

Aware of what she said, Kate blushed, "Um… I'm going to go get changed because we'll have to leave soon."

"Kate," Mike said, but Kate had already left the room.

After waiting for more than an hour, the door to the other room opened and Kate walked out. Mike's breath caught as he gazed at her. He had never seen her look so beautiful before. She stood there in a blue dress that fell to just above her knees accentuating her well-shaped legs. A small silver pendant hung from her neck and it took Mike awhile to realise where he had seen it before. It was the one he had left for her when he left all those years ago. To see her wearing it now made his heart swell, thinking that maybe there was hope after all.

"Kate," he whispered, "you look… amazing."

Kate gave a self-conscious smile and looked away, "You don't look to shabby yourself."

He laughed a little before offering her his arm, "Shall we leave then?"

Kate nodded her head taking his arm and leaving to face her old school peers.

As Kate walked into the hall, she was conscious that Mike's hand had moved to the small of her back. She wasn't one to complain and loved the way it felt. However as they fully entered the hall, Kate's eyes were immediately drawn to Chelsea's group. They stood there, in their little huddle, whispering to each other as they stared and pointed at Kate. She suddenly felt as though all eyes were on her, scrutinising her. She turned, surprising Mike and quickly walked out.

Mike rushed out after her, calling her name. When she didn't stop, he reached out and grabbed her arm, puling her harder than he thought, causing her to fall against his chest. Both gasped at the sudden contact, but neither moved, liking it too much.

"Why did you rush out," Mike whispered.

"I couldn't stand being in there. It was like they were all staring at me and scrutinising me," Kate replied. She unconsciously moved closed to Mike, liking the way it provided a certain form of comfort she hadn't felt in years.

Mike, unable to help himself, reached his hand out and gently rested it against her cheek, his thumb grazing her cheekbone. She leant into the touch.

"They don't deserve to know you then," he whispered, the closeness between them fogging his mind.

They started to lean in closer to each other, as though something was drawing them together. Neither was aware of what they were doing, only that it felt right. Their lips barely touched, but it was enough to spark something in them. Mike pushed further, causing the kiss to become deeper. However, something in Kate's mind told her to stop. She pulled back, surprising him.

"Mike," she whispered, "We shouldn't be doing this."

"Why Kate? We did it five years ago. If we're doing this now, obviously it means something," he replied.

She shook her head, "Five years ago, you weren't my commanding officer."

He sighed, knowing in a sense she was right. But them together, it just felt like it was supposed to happen. He was close to replying when a voice interrupted them.

"Are you two going to join us for the speeches?"

They both turned to see Chelsea standing in the door. Kate nodded her head and turned to walk back in with Mike following. Kate looked at Chelsea, who had a glint in her eye. Kate couldn't help but shiver with the thought that something was about to happen.

Inside the hall, everyone had been seated at his or her respective tables. Kate had just sat down with Mike when Chelsea called her up to the stage. She walked up, her stomach flipping with nerves. Chelsea handed her a microphone.

"As part of our reunion, we are going to get different people to tell us of their lives since leaving high school and I thought first off we would start with Kate McGregor who I feel, after a brief chat, has had a very interesting time since leaving highschool. So Kate, if you wouldn't mind?" Chelsea said.

Kate looked shocked, "Well, where would you like me to begin?"

"How about with your life in the Navy?" Chelsea started.

Kate opened her mouth to reply when Chelsea cut in.

"Or how about the man you are supposedly with?"

Kate realised that this wasn't meant to be a talk about her life since leaving high school. It was about publicly humiliating her.

"This wouldn't be the first time you've lied to us Kate would it? How about all those times you showed up late? Or the reason you wouldn't make friends. We all knew you're mum was a slut and also a liar. Obviously it runs in the family," Chelsea continued.

Kate stood there shocked. She didn't know what to say to her. She glanced out across her school year. She saw all the scrutinising glances and some of the sympathetic ones. But the one that got her was Mike's. His eyes conveyed to her that she could do this. She could do this. She could stand up to them.

"I'm not lying. Everything I have told you is true." She turned to the crowd.

"When I was in school, my mum did have a habit of drinking and going out with many men. There were plenty of times that I would have to clean up after her in the mornings before heading to school, hence why I was late. There were things that I suffered through my childhood, hence why I didn't want to make friends because I didn't know who I could trust and considering the way you all treated me, I'm glad I didn't. As for my life now, getting away from here is the best thing I have ever done. I did go to ADFA and I graduated and I am now a Lieutenant in the Australian Navy. I am serving on the HMAS Hammersley as an Executive Officer and I consider my life to be very successful. Much more so than Chelsea's, who I know considers her life as a socialite to be fulfilling."

Kate stood there, catching her breath after her rant. Suddenly her brain caught up with her mouth and she realised everything that she had said, and in front of her entire school. She dropped the microphone in shock before running off the stage. Mike stood up, hoping to provide some form of comfort but she ran straight past him and out of the hall. He went to make a move after her, but realising she may need some time to herself, decided to head for the motel instead.

He had been waiting for her for at least 2 hours, when she walked into the motel. He stood up quickly, "Kate?"

Without a second thought, she walked straight into his arms and into a comforting hug. He was surprised at the sudden change in her attitude.

"Kate," he whispered to her, "Are you alright?"

He felt her nod her head against his chest, "I am now."

She looked up at him, and moved her head close to him. She gently moved her lips against his in a light kiss, enough to entice him. As she pulled back, he followed her, catching her lips in a deeper and passionate kiss. She pushed him down onto the bed, not breaking contact. He wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her closer. Lost in the feeling of each other, Mike only just managed to catch Kate's whisper.

"I love you."


	4. Chapter 4

Kate woke the next morning feeling quite content. She hadn't slept this well in ages and for a moment, she didn't know why. She moved to get out, only to have an arm tighten about her. She turned her head slightly and saw Mike sleeping, a small smile on his face. Everything flooded back from the night before and she realised what they had done. They had broken Navy regulations and the rules she had set out when she first boarded the Hammersley. She didn't like the position she was in and wanted to get as far away from the room as possible. She pulled Mike's arm from around her and got out of the bed, grabbing some clothes to go running in and her iPod.

Mike woke up, Kate's lingering warmth making him believe she was still there. He rolled over and smile on his face. But at the site of the empty bed next to him, his smile fell.

"Kate?"

He sat up, looking around the room. The door to the other bedroom and the bathroom were open so she wouldn't be in there. He was hoping that she hadn't left, that she hadn't walked out on something that was so right. His hopes rose as he thought he heard a teacup chink and so he got out of the bed and walked to the kitchenette. The room was empty.

_Sit down, give me your hand_

_I'm gonna tell you the future_

_I see you, living happily_

_With somebody who really suits you_

_Someone like me_

Kate ran. It was the only way she could get the thoughts to stop running through her head. But it wasn't helping. She couldn't get rid of the way his hands or his lips felt against her. It was so right. When they weren't together, she was constantly missing him, even being near him everyday wasn't enough. She stopped, realisation hitting her.

_Stand still. Breath in_

_Are you listening?_

He sat on the bed, recalling her words from last night. She said she loved him and she came to him for comfort after what she went through at the reunion. He couldn't understand why she would run. What was she afraid of? That he loved her back? When she said last night that she loved him, he had been the happiest he had been since she stepped on the Hammersley. But it still wasn't enough. He wanted to be near her everyday, to wake up next to her everyday, to be able to hold and kiss her everyday. He wanted to tell her he loved her everyday.

_You don't know_

_Somebody's aching. Keeping it all in_

_Somebody won't let go of his heart but the truth is_

_It's painless_

_Letting your love show_

She loved him. She wanted to tell him she loved him. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. But would he? They would both be risking their careers. But she wanted to risk hers. She wanted to risk everything she had to be with him. She turned and ran back towards the motel. She wanted to tell him everything she felt.

_Break down. Give me some time_

_I don't want the fear to confuse you_

_Right now, it's so wrong_

_But maybe it's all in the future with_

_Someone like you_

_Stand still. Breath in_

_Are you listening?_

He was contemplating how they might deal with this once they return to the boat. It was something that was too big to just brush aside. Meeting again after 5 years was relatively easy to brush aside because both of them had plenty of time to put it behind them. But this... this was far too big. He let out a sigh and buried his head in his hands. Maybe he could just pretend that it meant nothing and rebury the feelings that this weekend had brought back to the surface.

_You don't know_

_Somebody's aching. Keeping it all in_

_Somebody won't let go of his heart but the truth is_

_It's painless_

_Letting your love show_

Kate burst into the motel room and saw Mike sitting on the bed, his head in his hands. He looked like he had just woken up sitting there in his boxer shorts and shirtless.

"Mike?"

He raised his head to look at her. It was now or never. He had to stop this. There could be nothing between them.

"Kate, we need to talk."

It was his tone that scared her. He sounded indifferent. There was none of the affection that she heard last night.

"We can't do this Kate."

His heart plummeted as her face fell. He didn't know if he could do this to her. He didn't know if he could lie to push her away. He was doing it to save his career, to save _her_ career.

_Maybe truth, maybe lies_

_Made me want you_

_Maybe dumb, maybe wise...?_

_I don't know_

Kate shook her head, "No Mike. Don't do this. Last night… This entire weekend has meant something to the both of us. Don't push me away."

Mike was surprised at her sudden outburst, "Kate. Let me finish."

_Somebody's aching. Keeping it all in_

_Somebody won't let go of his heart but the truth is_

_It's painless_

_Letting your love show_

_You don't know_

_Somebody's hurting. Holding it all in_

_Somebody can't let go of his heart but the truth is_

_It's painless_

He stood up and walked over to her. He stood mere inches away from her.

"Kate, I said we couldn't do this, not that I didn't want to. Finally being able to have you after all these years has made me realise what we let go all those years ago," he gently cupped her face.

"I don't want to do that again. I don't want to walk out of your life again. I don't just want to be your CO. Kate I want to be everything to you."

Kate's eyes teared up, "Mike." She moved against him and pressed her lips to his.

_Letting your love show_

_Love show_

_Letting your love show_

"I love you Mike," she whispered.

"I love you too Kate," he whispered back before kissing her.

*************************

Song: Love Show by Skye


	5. Chapter 5

The trip to Casino was made in a comfortable silence. Both Mike and Kate were happy with where they were at and were not thinking ahead on how they would tackle their newly rekindled relationship after the weekend was over. Mike thought, considering that the Hammersley would take a little longer to be repaired, that they might stay at his parents place a little bit longer than they planned.

"Kate?"

A soft snore was his only answer. He chuckled a little as he looked to the left and saw her head rolling about and obviously sleeping. He smiled and wrote a mental note to ask her later.

It was mid morning as Mike approached his driveway and he couldn't help but feel happy as he drove up. He hadn't been to his childhood home in a long time and was aching to enjoy the open spaces that it provided, a lot different to the hustle and bustle of a Navy base and patrol boat. He could see what appeared to be his mum and one of his sisters standing at the door, waving at the approaching car.

He leant over and shook Kate, "Kate, wake up. We're here."

She sat up and looked about, her eyes glassed over from sleep. She took in the size of the property and couldn't believe how big it was.

"When you said we were coming here, I expected something in town, not something this big."

Mike laughed, "Well with 6 kids, my parents needed something big, and this was perfect."

Kate choked, "Six! You have five brothers and sisters. Oh no. You didn't tell me that. Turn around now. We're going back to Darwin with the Navy and the boats. That I can handle. Not that many brothers and sisters."

Mike leant over and took her hand, "Hey, calm down. It'll be alright. I can handle them and as long as I'm with you, you'll be fine."

She gave him a small smile, but still was not 100% reassured.

He pulled up next to the door and got out, instantly being pulled into a hug by his mum.

"Oh Mikey, its so good to see you," she gave him a light slap on the arm, "You have to stop leaving it so long before you visit."

"Mum, you know how hard it is for me to get away from work!" he protested back.

She glared at him before rushing over to Kate, who was just getting out of the car.

As his mum moved away, his younger sister moved over to him and reached up to ruffle his hair, "Hey Mikey! Long time no see."

He pulled his head away in annoyance and at the use of his childhood nickname, "Hey Jack. Good to see you too."

He watched as his sister huffed in annoyance, that familiar feeling of revenge filling him.

"Don't call me that," she whacked him on the arm, "You know I am a female. Jack is a guy's name!"

He laughed, before moving to save Kate from his mum's interrogation.

As Kate watched Mike's mum hug him, she couldn't help but feel jealous at the obvious love his mum had for her kids. She moved to get out of the car, knowing it would be rude if she remained in there. She had barely closed the door when she was also enveloped in a hug.

"You must be Kate! We've heard so much about you!" his mum said, moving back.

"Oh really?" Kate didn't know what to say to that.

"Oh yes. Whenever we talk to Mikey, he always goes on about you."

Kate threw a glance to Mike who was with his sister.

"Well I'm Mike's mother, Sarah," she held out her hand to shake it.

Kate took it, shocked at the roughness of it, "Nice to meet you Sarah."

"Mum, I hope your not already pestering Kate?" Mikes voice interrupted.

Sarah shook her head, "No not at all. Just introducing myself. Well then, come inside both of you. Jacqui help them with their bags."

Kate shook her head, "Oh no. It's fine. There's not a lot and I'm use to carting bags on and off boats."

Sarah shook her head, "Never the less, you are our guest and as such will be treated as one." She turned and mumbled something else that missed Kate's ears, but not Mikes.

"MUM!" he looked at Sarah, a blush spreading on his shocked face.

Sarah just laughed before heading in.

Kate followed with Mike and Jacqui carrying the luggage.

As they entered the house, Kate almost had to cover her ears from the amount of screeching from young children.

"That would be my nieces and nephews," Mike said to her.

She looked at him shocked, "How many do you have?"  
"Only a few. But Flynn children are known to make a lot of noise," he replied.

Kate's shocked face remained.

Sarah turned to them, "I've put you two out in the cottage so you can be away from all this noise. Everyone else is use to it."

They both nodded their heads, Kate especially glad that they wouldn't be staying in the main house.

As they headed for the cottage, Kate was surprised at how far from the main house it was. Mike saw her reaction and leaned over, "It's normally used for the shearers when they come in to shear. It's quite nicely fitted out and mum and dad normally give it to the farm manager."

Kate nodded her head, "Where is he though?"

Mike shrugged, "Who knows. Whenever I speak to my parents, they always seem to have a new one."

She threw him a strange look and Mike knew he had some explaining to do about his family once they were alone.

After Mike had finally gotten his mum to leave the cottage, he went looking for Kate. He found her sitting on the bed in the bedroom.

"Kate?"

She looked up at him and he felt like shrinking away from the anger in her eyes.

"You told me this would be fine. But there are 8 Flynn's I have to deal with as well as all your nieces and nephews. You never told me any of this," she pointed an accusing finger at him.

"Look it's not that bad. My brothers and sisters are all really easy to get along with and my nieces and nephews all really keep to themselves. They'll probably just play amongst themselves," he tried to reassure her for the second time that day.

"Well then," she said sitting down on the bed, "you better get cracking on explaining to me you family."

He sat down next to her and knew that the time till lunch would go by slowly, especially if Kate was in this mood.

Two Hours Later

"Ok, so there is you, who is the eldest then comes Sean, Ellie, Nick, Jason and Jacqui, who I saw out front?" Kate repeated for the fourth time.

Mike nodded his head, "That's right. And they're all married except Jason, Jacqui and me, obviously."

Kate laughed a little at that, "And your fathers name is Adam?"

Mike nodded, "See. You got the hang of it."

Surprising Kate, he reached over and pulled her into his lap and kissed her. At first she was shocked but relaxed into his embrace. Eventually they pulled apart for air.

"What was that for?" she whispered.

"Because you're such a good student," he replied, "And I've been wanting to kiss you since we left Grafton."

She laughed and slapped him lightly on the arm, "Well then, I may have to give my fabulous captain, and teacher and thankyou gift."

And with that, she leant in for another kiss.

Ellie, who was yet to meet this mysterious Kate that her mother kept going on about, walked over to the cottage to get the two to hurry up and come for lunch. She knocked on the door and when there was no response, walked into the cottage.

"Mike?" she called out. "Mum wants you to hurry up. We're all waiting to start lunch."

She looked around and couldn't find them anywhere. Se let out a growl and was about to leave them to starve when she heard talking in the bedroom. She walked over and knocked on the door.

"Mike?"

There was no answer so she pushed open the door a little, to see Kate in Mike's lap in a very intimate kiss.

"Crap, sorry," she quickly went to walk out but walked into the door.

Her voice and subsequent walk into the door startled the pair from their kiss.

"Ellie?" Mike's shocked voice cleared the stars around her head.

"Yeah?" she replied, rubbing her head.

"What are you doing in here and why didn't you knock?" he asked, the older peeved brother tone coming through.

"I did knock. A few times actually. And I called out your name. It's not my fault you were too occupied with little miss Blondie here," Ellie replied, waving her hand at Kate.

Kate, suddenly embarrassed at the current situation, blushed and shrunk behind Mike.

Mike, who was aware of how Kate was reacting, told Ellie to get out.

"Fine. I only came to tell you that lunch was ready," she replied, slamming the cottage door on her way out.

Mike quickly turned to Kate.

"I'm so sorry about her comment. She doesn't know you yet and…"

Kate cut him off, "It's alright. I've had worse before."

She rested her hand against his cheek, "You know you're cute when you get angry."

He laughed and pulled her into another kiss.

After a bit, Kate pulled away, "As much as I would love to continue, I'm hungry."

"Mmmm, so am I," Mike replied, moving in for another kiss.

Kate laughed, "Seriously Mike. I need food."

He sighed and said in a dejected tone, "Fine lets go."

Kate just laughed and pulled him out the door.

As they approached the main house, the smell of country cooking wafted out, making both Mike and Kate's stomachs rumble.

"That smells so good," Kate said, her eyes drifting shut at the dreamy smells.

"Mum's cooking always does. Come on. We better get in quickly before my brothers eat it all," Mike said, pulling her in through the door.

They walked in to 2 tables pulled together, and a small one off to the side for the kids. Kate's eyes widened at the site. She hadn't expected it to be like this when Mike was explaining his family to her.

"Nice to see you could finally join us Mike," Sarah said, winking in his direction. He felt Kate stiffen beside him, but took her hand to reassure her, an action not missed by his family.

"Well, might do this quickly then so we can all eat," Mike said, "Everyone, this is Kate. And Kate this is Ellie, who you have already met."

Kate gave a small embarrassed smile at Ellie, who just gave an indifferent look in reply before looking away.

However, it went unnoticed by Mike who kept going with introductions.

"Oscar, Ellie's Husband. Jason and Jacqui, my youngest brothers and sisters. Sean and his wife Kaitlyn. Nick and his wife Rebecca and those are all my nieces and nephews. And that's my father, Adam," Mike finished, pointing to the hardened looking man at the head of the table.

Kate suddenly felt very much out of her depth here, worse then when she first boarded the Hammersley.

She gave a small smile and a weak hello before sitting down next to Mike and unfortunately next to Ellie. As conversation started up around the table, Kate found herself excluded as Mike was talking to Jason, who was trying to explain to Mike about the sheep problems they'd been having lately. Mile, who was clueless to the going ons on the farm, had no idea what Jason was going on about. Kate couldn't help but smile at the thought of Mike being a farmer. It just didn't work. As she looked around, she noticed how at ease everyone seemed to be with each other. Sitting next to Ellie was not helping. Apparently Ellie seemed to have a problem with blondes, and it seemed she was doing everything in her power to exclude Kate by cutting in when people were asking Kate questions or getting in before Kate could reply. After a while, Kate just wanted to shrink into the background. It was worse than her reunion. She was able to stand up to them, but here. This was Mike's family and there was nothing she could do. She didn't notice Rebecca watching her.

Suddenly Mike's ringtone cut in and he quickly pulled it out.

"Mike, no phones at the table!" Adam said, in a very stern voice.

"Sorry dad, but I've got to answer this. It's my navigator," Mike replied, quickly pressing answer.

No one but Kate knew how important the call could possibly be and they all started complaining about the fact that Mike was allowed to talk on the phone.

Kate was surprised though when Mike turned to Kate and held out his mobile to her, "Nav wants to talk to you."

"Okay then. Do you mind if I go outside?" Mike shook his head, even though Ellie started to complain about the special treatment Kate was getting. Kate quickly took the phone and walked out.

"Hello?"

"What are you doing at Mike's family home," came the question over the phone.

"What? I'm not, I'm at Grafton for a school reunion," Kate replied back hurriedly.

"Kate I could hear Mike's family in the background. And plus, you were supposed to be coming back this afternoon and Mike tomorrow but you're with him so explain," Nikki demanded.

"Look its not what you think. Mike just wanted someone to help him endure his family," Kate replied, hoping it would work.

The scoff from the other end told Kate that Nikki didn't believe it.

"Look, Nik. I had better go," Kate said.

"Yeah so had I. Charge is pushing for me to get onto NavCom about getting this part," Nikki replied.

"I'll try giving them a call, give you a break," Kate offered, "Or I could get Mike to call?"

Nikki agreed then hung up, needing to leave to deal with something.

Kate lowered the phone and turned to walk back in but was stopped by Rebecca standing there.

"I was watching the way Ellie was treating you in there," she said quietly.

"It was nothing. I've had worse," Kate replied, shrugging it off.

Rebecca shook her head, "Don't let her get away with it. If you do, she won't stop. It took me weeks before I said anything to her. After that she left me alone. Since then, we've become good friends. With Nick, she was just filling in Mike's role of older sibling. I think Ellie is trying to protect Mike. Five years ago he was a wreck. He never actually told us what happened but we think that he fell in love with a girl who left him."

Kate felt guilt sweep through her at what Rebecca said. She knew that she was that girl. She wasn't planning on doing that again. She looked Rebecca in the eye, "I'm not going to hurt him. I don't plan on leaving him."

Rebecca smiled, "Say that to Ellie and you'll be fine. She just likes to hold some power over the new entrants into the family."

Kate smiled in return, "Thanks Rebecca. Well we better get back in."

Rebecca nodded in return, "Yeah. If you ever need to talk, feel free to talk to me."

"Thanks," Kate replied as they headed inside.

Mike looked at Kate as she walked back in with Rebecca and couldn't help but letting a smile cross his face at the sight of her.

Kate noticed the smile, and returned a small one before handing him back his phone.

"Nikki was wondering if we might be able to give NavCom a call about pushing for the part because they refuse to replace it. They want Charge to repair the broken one," Kate told him quietly.

Mike blew up at that, "Bloody hell!!! That's it. I've had it with NavCom." He grabbed his phone and stormed out.

Everyone turned to look at Kate, wanting her to explain.

"NavCom refuse to replace a part on the boat because it's being decommissioned in a few months. But the boat needs the part to be able to keep functioning for the next few months," Kate explained.

Everyone looked slightly confused but seemed to have some idea of what she was going on about. They heard yelling from outside as Mike abused the poor soul at NavCom.

Kate suddenly felt very self conscious of the fact she was sitting alone with his entire family.

"So Kate," Adam started, "What is it you do, as an occupation?"

"Ah, I work with Mike, in the Navy," Kate replied with a weak voice.

"So you work at this NavCom?" Ellie butted in.

Kate shook her head, "No I work on the Hammersely."

Ellie looked confused at this, "I thought relationships between crew members wasn't allowed in the Navy."

Kate nodded her head, "It isn't."

"So you're both willing to risk your careers over your relationship?" Adam questioned.

"I am. If it came down to it, I would pick Mike over my career. The Hammersley only has a few months left in her and then when it is decommissioned I am requesting a transfer so that we can officially be together," Kate finished indignantly, surprising Mike's family at how committed she appeared to be.

Ellie was the one most surprised of all. Maybe this could be the girl Mike was looking for. He seemed happy with her, happier than he has ever been since his previous relationship 5 years ago. Ellie decided she was happy to accept Kate into the Flynn family.

A rise in Mike's voice from outside startled everyone that they could actually hear what Mike was saying.

"We need the bloody part Sir. It's not a choice, as you seem to think! We won't be operational without the part. How hard can it be!"

Kate stood up, knowing that he would get in a lot of trouble if he kept going. She quickly walked out startling the family.

Mike was gripping the phone so hard his knuckles were white. Whatever Commander Marshall was saying to him, was making Mike angrier. She walked over quickly and went to pull the phone from him.

"Mike, let go," his hands tightened around the phone. "Mike, let go." He let go of the phone and Kate took it.

"Sir, this is Lieutenant McGregor," Kate said into the phone calmly.

"Lieutenant McGregor, I was under the impression you were at a school reunion?" Marshall said into the phone.

"Ah, we were catching the same flight back from Grafton sir. The CO is staying at the same hotel as me. We were meeting for lunch when Lieutenant Caetano called informing us of the situation," Kate quickly said, hoping it would pass as an excuse.

"So you are aware of the situation regarding the replacement part?" he said to her.

Kate looked at Mike who was trying to calm himself, but had that annoyed, angry, frustrated look on his face.

"Yes Sir, I have," she said calmly, "And I think you need to explain to whoever is refusing to replace it that without this part, the Hammersley won't be operational so you may as well decommission her now."

She heard a sigh on the other side of the line, "I'll see what I can do Lieutenant but I'm not promising anything."

Kate nodded her head, "Yes sir. Thankyou very much Sir."

She hung up and turned to Mike.

"What's the story?" he asked, as he took his phone from her.

"He's going to try, but isn't promising anything," Kate replied.

She was surprised as she was enveloped into a hug.

"What would I do without you," he whispered to her.

She gave a little laugh and returned the hug, "You're welcome."

They walked back in to enjoy the company of Mike's family.

Mike lay in bed, his arms wrapped around Kate and listened to her soft breathing. He couldn't believe his family had accepted her so well. He remembered the way Ellie had treated Rebecca when Nick had first brought her over. He didn't see her acting that way to Kate and was glad. He wrapped his arms a little tighter around her, pulling her closer.

"I love you Kate," he whispered as he drifted off to sleep. He heard a murmur from Kate before sleep enveloped him.


	6. Chapter 6

Kate walked into the kitchen, not knowing who was in there and didn't care. As long as she got her coffee, she would be happy. She had left Mike asleep as he needed to be well rested because he would be doing most of the driving today. She opened the sliding door and walked in to see Sean and Ellie standing there with coffee.

"Good Morning," she said quietly.

They both nodded their heads, "Morning."

Ellie surprised Kate by offering her coffee.

Kate accepted, smiling her thanks

"It's only instant though," Ellie continued.

"That's fine," Kate replied, "It's all we drink on the boat."

She helped herself to the kettle and jar of coffee, making up two mugs.

"Ah, is there any sugar by any chance?"

Sean handed it to her and as Kate put in her normal 4 spoons of sugar and no milk into her mug, she felt as though she was being scrutinised.

"Are you having both those mugs?" Sean asked.

Kate shook her head, "No, one's for Mike."

She spooned 3 teaspoons of sugar into Mike's.

"How can you drink your coffee like that," Ellie asked, clearly disgusted at how strong the coffee was and the amount of sugar in it.

"When you're on a patrol boat, you get out of whack in terms of what we sleep. When you start to drink your coffee like this to keep you awake, you get used to it," Kate replied picking up both cups of coffee and turning to take it to Mike. But, as she turned around, Mike was already there. He took the coffee and straight away took a sip from it.

"Ah, Kate, that's perfect," he said, "You right to leave at noon?"

She nodded her head as she drunk her coffee.

"You're leaving so soon?" Ellie asked.

"You guys only just got here," Sean added, "Why leaving so soon?"

Mike sighed, knowing that this would happen, "We have to get back to Darwin to get back to work. Also, if this engine is finally going to be fixed, we should be back there."

"But Mike. We haven't seen you for 9 months and when you finally visit, it's barely two days," Ellie complained.

"What's this I hear about you leaving so soon," another male voice cam from a hallway leading into the kitchen.

Everyone turned to see Adam, Mike's father there.

"Sorry dad, but I have to get back," Mike explained, suddenly feeling very cornered.

"Surely even you deserve a break," Adam asked.

Mike shrugged his shoulders, "I get the odd one and its fine. Isn't it Kate?"

Kate, who had zoned out of the conversation, thinking on how they were going to deal with their relationship when they got back, almost dropped her coffee at the mention of her name.

"Sorry?"

Mike gave her a strange look before turning back to his dad, "Look dad, the point of the matter is that I need to get back. I'm the commanding officer of a boat. It's the equivalent of owning your own farm. You don't really get a break."

Adam was still not happy, "But Mike…"

"Just stop it Dad! I'm old enough to look after myself. I don't need you telling me when I need to take a holiday," Mike yelled back.

Kate took a step back, trying to move away from the upcoming confrontation as she noticed Adam's face go red. Sean and Ellie also noticed this and tried to diffuse the situation.

"Dad, Mike. Stop this. There is no point in fighting over something so trivial," Ellie said, stepping in between them.

Adam wasn't having a bar of it though. He was brought up in a strict household and was taught to respect his parents and that was how he brought up his children. He pointed his finger at Mike, "You will treat me with respect young man."

Mike rolled his eyes and turned to walk out of the room, taking Kate's hand as he walked past her, "I'm not a kid anymore Dad."

As they walked back into the cottage, Kate looked at Mike in shock.  
"Was it smart to do that? Your dad looked pretty angry."

He just shrugged his shoulders, "I'm never home so Dad can never tell me what to do whereas he can most of the others. So when I am home, he goes all out."

Kate shook her head, unable to believe what she was hearing. He was sounding like a teenager rebelling from his parents and she found it slightly weird having never seen him act like this before.

"Well, we better get packing if we want to make this flight," Mike said, moving for the bedroom with Kate following.

The drive back to Grafton was long and Kate was constantly checking with Mike if he wanted her to drive. He refused her every time. By the time they boarded they flight to Sydney, Mike was exhausted and asleep almost as soon as they were in the air. Kate looked around for a bit, trying to find something to do when a voice from across the aisle startled her.

"And how was your weekend dear?"

Kate looked across to see the little old lady from their flight to Grafton sitting there.

"Ah, it was quite good actually," she replied, not knowing what else to do. She couldn't just ignore the lady.

"That's good. And did your friend enjoy it?"

"Yes I think he did," Kate replied whilst thinking how nosey this old lady was. The person on the window seat moved to get out of his seat, waking Mike and making Kate move.

After being awoken, Mike felt the need to go for a bit of a walk. He was able to deal with being in small spaces after being on a patrol boat for so long, but could only stand sitting for short periods of time. He stood up and moved past Kate. He gave her a quick kiss, before telling her he was off for a little walk around the plane. The little old lady didn't miss a beat and as soon as Mike was gone, leant over to continue her conversation with Kate.

"Seems you two enjoyed yourselves a bit more than I thought," she said with a chuckle. Kate just looked away with a blush.

By the time Mike returned, the little old lady had gone to sleep. After he had finally gotten himself comfortable, Kate thought he should make himself slightly useful and leant against him.

"What are you doing?" He was startled by her sudden public display of affection.

"Making you useful for something. A pillow and if you're nice enough, a bit of warmth too," she said with a smirk.

Mike just laughed and wrapped his arm around her. She snuggled against him before falling asleep.

They landed early in the morning in Darwin and by the time they made it to their homes, they were needed at the boat. Mike swung by Kate's place and picked her up. "Won't this be slightly suspicious?" Kate asked, wondering what the crew would think if they showed up together.

Mike didn't care, "You're car broke down and I offered to give you a lift."

She scoffed at that idea, "Real original idea."

They were walking across the ramp when Nikki walked out, "Thank god you guys are back. I don't think I could ever handle bossing these guys around for much longer."

Mike laughed, "It takes a firm hand Nav. Plus I think you've just become one of the boys. I'll go sort them out."

He gave Kate a quick glance and a smile before heading below deck. Nikki caught it though.

"So you and the captain? What's he like," Nikki asked, a smirk on her face.

Kate blushed, unable to hold it back, "Nav! You can't ask that!!"

Nikki laughed, "Well you can't act like that if you're hoping to keep it quiet until the boats decommissioned."

Kate shook her head and headed below deck, Nikki's continuing questions about the weekend following behind her.

After finally getting the boat fixed, they set sail on patrol. The entire crew was itching for some action and when RO finally received a report from NavCom, everyone was ready to get into it. Needless to say, all were disappointed when they found out they would be picking up a passenger. However, no one had a clue who it was except Mike. Yet when the tinney returned with Dr Ursula Morrell, Kate was fuming. He had purposely not told her who they were picking up and knowing the previous relationship of Ursula and Mike, Kate was jealous.

Unlike the previous time Ursula requested transport, Kate was not on watch during dinner and so had the opportunity to try and get across to the other woman to keep her hands off Mike. However, Mike wanted to be the accommodating captain and so managed to keep Kate from going all out in insulting Ursula in every possible way.

Mike had just requested for Kate to come and see him when a Nikki burst into the room reporting a mayday had just been picked up.

"We've got it placed in the northern Great Barrier Reef. They report that they've hit coral and are sinking," Nikki informed Kate and Mike.

"There is no one closer that can aid them?" Mike asked.

Nikki shook her head, "No sir. We are the closest."

Mike nodded his head, "Right then, set course for the vessel then."

Nikki smiled, "Already done sir."

By the time Mike had the chance to talk to Kate about her reaction to having Ursula onboard, she was already asleep.

They reached the sinking boat early the next morning to see they had little time to move the passengers over.

"X, let's get this done quickly and efficiently," Mike told her.

All he received was a quipped reply of "Sir," before her head disappeared below the deck into the RHIB.

As Kate followed behind Buffer onto the cruise boat and saw all the socialites standing in heels and expensive dresses, she knew it was going to take longer than she originally thought.

"Charlie 2, this is X-Ray 2. This may take longer than we originally anticipated," Kate quickly got into the radio, hoping Mike might have the smarts to send over the tinney.

"If you think it will take longer, we'll send the tinney over," came Mike's reply.

Kate let out a sigh of relief. "Thankgod," she muttered.

"Buffer," she called to him, getting him away from the fawning women.

"Ma'am."

"I want these women to get their heels off and to bring only their necessary things. We're not going to be able to fit much more and I don't want any of them putting a hole in the RHIB and sinking us," Kate told Buffer.

Buffer nodded his head, "Yes Ma'am." He walked off and started ordering the rest of the boarding party around.

Kate stood off to the side and informed Mike what was going on whilst overseeing the evacuation of the boat.

They were down to the last group and the boat was sitting very dangerously low.

"X-ray 2 this is Charlie 2. I want you off that boat now," Mike's voice crackled over the radio, worry very evident in his voice.

She silently cursed him for being so obvious, "Getting off now sir."

She stepped into the RHIB as water started to flow over the stern of the boat.

"That was a close one X," Buffer said, looking back at the boat.

Kate nodded her head, her eyes scanning the last group in the RHIB. Her eyes caught a very familiar pair of icy cold hazel eyes.

"Chelsea," she said in a sickly sweet voice.

The woman heard her name and turned to see Kate sitting in a naval uniform across from her.

"Kate, nice to see you weren't lying," came Chelsea's icy reply.

Kate just narrowed her eyes at the woman. Buffer looked between the two, wondering what the hell was going on.

Mike stood in the bridge, watching the passengers being brought over and moved onto the quarterdeck.

"Nav, get Chefo to organise a steel beach BBQ. With all our guests, I think it might be an idea."

Nikki nodded her head, "Yes boss."

Just as she finished her sentence, Mike had the binoculars back to his eyes, watching the RHIB return, with Kate on board, finally. He let out a sigh of relief as her familiar form caught his eye. However one of the passengers also looked very familiar and he had to hold back a curse as he recognised the passenger as Chelsea.

Finally reaching the boat, Kate climbed up first, accepting the hand held out to her to help her back on. Looking up, she looked straight into Mike's eyes and gave him a small smile at the look of relief on his eyes. As she stood next to him, he leant and whispered to her, "If you had spent any longer on that boat, I would have been over their like a knight in shining armour to save you."

She couldn't help but laugh at his comment and turned to help the other passengers out of the RHIB. As Chelsea came to the ladder, she let out a squeal.

"Ewww. This ladder is so dirty and so is that boat. I'm not risking my dress or my shoes on that boat. They'll get wet and dirty."

Kate let out a frustrated sigh, "Chelsea, this boat is cleaned constantly. And you'll be spending most of the trip inside. If you would like to pass me you shoes, I can hold onto them whilst you climb onboard."

Chelsea threw a glare at Kate, "As if I would trust my shoes with you. These are $300 shoes. You're likely to throw them overboard."

Kate's jaw tensed. She was quickly getting annoyed with Chelsea, "Ma'am, there are other things that we need to do and you are holding us up. Would you please pass me your shoes so you can climb aboard?"

Chelsea scoffed, "Don't try that trick on me Kate…"

Kate's temper snapped, "Chelsea, you climb onto this damn boat now or I will put you and your $300 shoes back onto your cruise boat where you're going to get a lot more wet and a lot more dirty than if you were on here. Now I'm going to give you one more chance. Climb onboard… NOW!"

Mike, who had since moved to the quarterdeck, heard the yelling, along with the entire crew, from Kate. He moved quickly to where the RHIB was tied up alongside the boat. He noticed that Kate was fuming and knew it could be none other than Chelsea who was causing problems. He quickly stepped in to intervene.

"Is there a problem here X?"

Kate looked at Mike, her anger from Chelsea, being transferred to him, "No sir. Just a very stubborn passenger."

Mike looked over the railing to see Chelsea staring shocked up at the two. Her expression changed the instant she saw Mike though.

"Mike," she asked, her voice going sickly sweet, "Can you please help me up. You're female officer here isn't being very helpful."

Mike threw a glance at Kate, who, if was in a cartoon, would have had steam coming from her ears.

"I'm sure she was being as helpful as she could possibly be. But if it isn't satisfactory then here," he leant over and offered her his hand. She took it and climbed up, 'stumbling' over the edge into Mike's arms.

Kate was disgusted and pushed past the two and walked off. Mike let go of Chelsea and turned as Kate pushed past.

"X?"

She ignored him and kept walking. He knew he would have to say something to her about discipline, but considering the circumstances, he figure he would let it slide.

"Ah sir, do you mind if we come onboard now?"

Mike turned to see Buffer and another sailor waiting to climb onboard.

"Right, ah miss. Would you like to head down towards the back there. We are setting up a BBQ back there for dinner," Mike indicated for the direction Chelsea should go in. She smiled at him and walked past, purposely brushing her body against his.

Kate sat fuming in her cabin. She refused to go back on deck for dinner when those two…

She threw her hands in the air, letting out a growl. She couldn't even describe what they were. She was in too minds as to what to do. Whether she went on deck and let Ursula and Chelsea fight over her Mikey or go up and fight for him, potentially revealing their relationship to the crew.

She made up her mind and stormed out of her cabin.

She had barely walked through the door when Nikki saw her. Nikki moved quickly, hoping to stop Kate ruining her career. As Nikki grabbed her arm, Kate pulled away from her.

"Let me go Nav," she let out in a growl.

"Kate, don't do this. Mike is not going to ruin his relationship with you over two fake women."

A loud high-pitched giggle, followed by a more feminine laugh wafted over from the very back of the boat. Kate looked past everyone to see Mike between Ursula and Chelsea, both women all over him. She let out another growl, seeing green, and pulled viciously away from Nikki.

However, Nikki was quick to act. She quickly turned to Buffer.

"Buff, help quick please," she hissed. Buffer moved quickly pulling Kate back around the side of the boat where they were out of view of the crew. Kate pulled against the two, growling to let her go. Eventually Kate's struggles weakened and her head fell. Neither Buffer nor Nikki knew what was wrong, until Kate's shoulders started to shake. Nikki realised instantly she was crying.

"Oh Kate," she quickly pulled Kate into a hug.

"He is possibly one of the best things that has ever happened to me and now I'm going to lose him to someone who is smarter and much more beautiful than me. What does he see in me anyway," Kate sobbed. Nikki quickly led her down to Mike's cabin, an idea forming in her head.

She turned to Buffer, "Make up something, anything to get the boss down into his cabin now."

Buffer nodded and moved towards the back of the boat whilst Nikki walked with Kate down below.

The sound of both women's laughter was painful on his ears and he was trying to find some excuse to get away. However every time he thought of something, they would find some way to keep him there. As he watched Buffer approach, he prayed to god that he had some reason to get away.

"Ah excuse me ladies, sir. There is a call from NavCom for you down in your cabin."

Mike looked strangely at Buffer. Never before had he taken a call in his cabin, it was impossible. Figuring though that something was up, he thought he should go down below. He nodded his head at Buffer and managed to pull Ursula and Chelsea's hands off him before rushing off below deck, the snickers of his crew following behind him.

When he got down to his cabin, he saw Nikki standing outside.

"Nav. What is going on?"

Nikki just nodded her head inside, "You best ask Kate that question."

Surprised at what she had said, he walked into his cabin to see Kate sitting on his rack, her eyes bloodshot and puffy from crying.

His eyes softened as he looked at her and he quickly moved to pull her into a comforting hug.

She pulled away from him and the look on his face surprised her.

"Do you love me?" she asked in barely a whisper.

"What?" he was shocked she would ask such a question.

"Do you love me?" she repeated, slightly louder this time.

"Of course I do," he replied, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Then why did you allow those two to fawn all over you? It didn't occur to you how that would make me feel," she asked, her voice rising.

He could see the pain and hurt and had caused her and suddenly felt horrible.

"Oh Kate," he pulled her into a hug, Kate having nowhere to go in the small room.

"There is nothing I wouldn't do in this world to make sure I don't hurt you. Please don't hate me. I wanted to get away from them but they're like vultures. They wouldn't let me go."

She cried as he held her and he whispered sweet nothings into her ear.

"They mean nothing to me," he whispered, "You're my everything." He leant down and kissed her. She melted against him, allowing herself to be enveloped by his warmth. She let out a soft moan as he pushed deeper, the last week of not being able to kiss her or hold her finally getting a hold of them. Her hands wrapped around his neck, her fingers entangling in her hair. A knock at the door meant they had to pull apart.

"I love you Kate and when this boat is decommissioned, I'm going to marry you."

She laughed at his comment, "That's if I say yes."

She pulled him in for another kiss when another sharper knock broke them apart.

He looked at her, "I suppose we should go back to being the CO and XO now."

She laughed, "I suppose so, until we're back on shore."

He returned her cheeky smile before they quickly fixed themselves up before opening the door.

Nikki stood there, "Sir, we're going to have to head back in. There is a line of storms on its way, heading straight for us."

Mike nodded his head, "Right then. Set course for home."

He turned and gave a quick wink to Kate before heading back out.

Kate headed out to the quarterdeck, hunger smothering her reluctance to see Chelsea or Ursula. The instant she was in amongst the sailors, Chelsea was beside her.

"I've won you know," she whispered into Kate's ear, "I've got everything you've ever dreamed of. Your man included."

Kate laughed at that, "You actually have no idea how badly you have it wrong. Mike feels nothing for you. Or for the blonde over there."

Wanting to rub it in that little further, "It's me he wants to marry." She turned to walk off, only to feel a clawed hand wrap around her arm.

It didn't go unnoticed by any of the crew, who all moved to assist Kate. She stopped them and pulled Chelsea's hand off herself.

"Do that again and I won't stop one of the crew breaking your arm."

As she turned her back on Chelsea and on her former life, she felt as thought a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders and that she had something to look forward to in life.

Kate lay on the couch resting against Mike as the storm raged outside. His arm was wrapped around her waist and she had never felt more comfortable in her life. She felt him nuzzle gently into her neck, his lips softly grazing the soft skin on her neck.

"Mike," she moaned softly, not wanting him to stop, but the smell of something burning was starting to annoy her.

"Hmm?"

"Isn't dinner on the stove?"

He shot up, practically dropping Kate off the couch as he swore, running into the kitchen, the sound of her laughter following him.


End file.
